All about the 6 Days Private Heli Skiing Iceland, Heli skiing, Snow, Iceland.

Heli Skiing Iceland

We specialize in heli ski trips in the northern part of Iceland. Our headquarters are located in Ólafsfjorður and the Tröllaskagi (the Troll peninsula) is our main heli skiing in Iceland area. We will guide you through a world class skiing area with thousands of slopes waiting for their first descents at all levels of skiing.

The founders of our heliskiing operation, Jóhann H. Hafstein and Björgvin Björgvinsson, are both former Olympic ski racers who competed for their country on the Icelandic National Skiing Team. After retiring from the race scene they have transitioned their focus to engage in big mountain skiing and freeriding while obtaining their AMSG ski guide certifications.

Arctic Heli Skiing

After we pick you up at the Akureyri airport we start our 1 hour drive towards Siglufjörður, along the seaside of the beautiful Eyjafjörður fjord with amazing views on all sides. When arriving at Siglufjörður you will check in to your 25 m2 room in one of Iceland’s nicest hotels, Siglo Hotel. The hotel strives to offer our guests a relaxing environment with a classic and romantic design. All the rooms have views over the beautiful surrounding mountains and marina. All Siglo Hotel’s rooms feature an HDTV, in room safe, complimentary Wi-Fi, private bathrooms with walk-in showers, free toiletries and a hairdryer. Guests also have complimentary access to our sauna and hot tubs.

In the morning of your first day of skiing, we will have a heilicopter, avalanche and safety briefing before you start exploring the magic of the Troll Peninsula. There is nothing more important to us than your safety. After skiing each day we offer complimentary after-ski snacks. This is a perfect time to talk about your day and share photos with your fellow skiers. In the afternoon it is perfect to enjoy the hotel spa facilities, have a walk around the historical Siglo village, check out the Herring museum or simply relax in your hotel room. In the evening we have a group dinner where our guest will enjoy a delicious 3-course meal prepared by the hotel´s talented chef´s.

After skiing on your last day you say goodbye to your new friends and we drive you to Akureyri where new adventures await you. You can stay in town or we can drive you directly to the airport to catch your flight back to Reykjavik.

The Package

Included vertical feet: Unlimited Private Helicopter for the group Up to 4 skiers with one guide 5 nights accommodation at Sigló Hotel All meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinners and Aprés ski snacks. Guide services Safety training and use of safety gear (BCA) K2 freeride skis / K2 snowboards with Marker bindings and K2 ski poles All ground transportation in the skiing area and pickup/dropoff at Akureyri airport is free of charge VAT is included in all prices

Each trip is led by a professional heliski guide that will choose the best terrain suitable for the group, with their safety as top priority. Our guides will also assist you with your off-piste technique if needed. Every guest is equipped with K2 skis, poles and k2 snowboards. Viking Heliskiing and BCA provide an avalanche transceiver, a probe, shovel and an avalanche backpack. Guests have to bring their own ski boots.

What to Expect

THE DAY OF ARRIVAL

Guests will be picked up at Akureyri airport and driven to their accommodation, Siglo Hotel. Guests can also be picked up in Akureyri by our helicopter upon request. When check-in at the hotel is completed our guests will have a short meeting with other skiers and the Heliskiing guides. After the meeting and a little chat, dinner is served in the hotel restaurant. In the evening guests can relax and enjoy a drink and some snacks while looking at the program for the coming tour.

THE DAYS TO COME

Ready for the thrill of your life? You better be – you are staying with the Vikings and you are about to experience an adventure of a lifetime. On the schedule is heliskiing – adventure – exploring – and unique scenery, spectacular views and some unforgettable moments.

After breakfast, there will be a short briefing regarding avalanche safety and beacon training, helicopter safety, and ski-/snowboard equipment adjustment, just so everyone will be ready.

Then the fun part starts; heli skiing/heli snowboarding and exploring new lines and enjoying the breathtaking view while skiing down to the Arctic Ocean. Terrain selection is determined by the guides and is based on avalanche assessment, weather and the skiing ability of the group. Your safety is our number one priority.

After a few runs, we will find a great spot for our lunch which will be served outside on a mountain picnic style. After lunch, our ride continues throughout the day. We have an agreement with some of the local farmers, allowing us to drop in at the farms to taste some Icelandic shark, smoked arctic char or even smoked lamb.

After detaching the skis each day you can enjoy some of the adventure packages we have to offer, e.g. whale watching, sea angling or horseback riding on the great Icelandic horse. It is also possible to bathe in Iceland´s nicest swimming pools in an unforgettable environment. The other options are just to sit down at the Viking Bar to relax and unwind with a glass of wine or a pint of the Icelandic Viking beer.

Later in the evening the group will have dinner together in the Viking Heliskiing Lodge and discuss the great runs and adventures of the day.

In case of bad weather and down days you have a great opportunity to explore Iceland in a different way. You are able to enjoy all the activities we have to offer. Let us know if you have any other ideas of activities and we´ll do our best to make them available for you.

DEPARTURE DAY

This is the last day of the tour. After breakfast, we will head out to the mountains to enjoy our last day. On the schedule today is exploring more new lines and the breathtaking view. After skiing, we head back to the hotel where you can for the last time jump in the hot tub or sauna, before enjoying the final drink and saying goodbye to your guides and your new friends.

Guests will be driven back to Akureyri where they can either go straight to the airport or spent some time in Akureyri. Upon request, we can also use our helicopter to fly you back to Akureyri.

Yes, it is hard to leave, but all fairy tales have to end… Keep in mind that you are always welcome back to join the Vikings and be a part of the explorers writing this amazing chapter in your life.

Our Team

We’ve got a powerful team of skilful and experienced heli skiing guides, specializing in challenging conditions. We’re more than just a team of professional guides, we’re a big group of friends who love heli skiing in Iceland. We focus on small groups and high quality in our operation with our guest’s safety and enjoyment as top priorities. Our dedication is to provide unforgettable ski holidays to our guests. To do that, we have put together a special team of professional, experienced and qualified heli skiing guides.

Our pilots are some of the most experienced in the industry allowing us to safely and steadily access and land on top of the best lines in all of Iceland. It is not common to be able to ski down the mountain to a helicopter sitting by the ocean-side before taking you back up again, but we offer you that chance.

Our Boat

During extra sunny days or down days, or even after a day of amazing heli skiing in Iceland, we love taking our guests out on Skjöldur our 28’ ft boat. Skjöldur, or “the shield” is perfect to relax on while whale-watching, or even to gear up and scuba dive off of. Just north of Ólafsfjorður and south of the Arctic Circle is a world-famous diving spot where you can dive between two continents. The bay here in Ólafsfjorður is also great for surfing when the winds and weather are right. We would like to provide you with many opportunities and experiences while staying with.

Our Area

In terms of heli skiing in Iceland, there are few places in the world with as many possibilities as the Troll Peninsula in Northern Iceland. The Troll Peninsula is named after the Icelandic Trolls that “live” in the mountains and is the peninsula between Skagafjordur and Eyjafjordur. It is vast, largely unexplored and is the most spectacular heli skiing area in Iceland covering 4,000 square kilometres or 1,500 square miles.

The skiing slopes are truly unique, with a panorama view of amazing slopes waiting for their first descents. The North Atlantic Ocean surrounding the Troll Peninsula makes skiing summit to sea a truly exciting option.

Prepare for different skiing conditions; fresh powder skiing, skiing in the stable spring corn snow, which is perfect for steep and extreme skiing and more exposed lines than you normally find where avalanches are more likely. Our vertical drop is up to 1,500m or approximately 5,000 ft. in the unbelievable Arctic mountains.

During winter you can ski until it’s dark and watch the majestic northern lights dance in the sky. In the springtime, there is nothing like skiing down slopes in between the towering peaks, ending the ride where the shoreline meets the North Atlantic.

You will be skiing with Iceland’s best skiers, and benefit by our knowledge and expertise of this region all while enjoying the comforts of our exclusive facilities.

Your Guides

We’ve got a powerful team of skilful and experienced heli skiing guides, specializing in challenging conditions. We are more than just a team of professional guides, we are a big group of friends that relate to our guests. We focus on small groups and high quality in our operation with our guest’s safety and enjoyment as top priorities. Our dedication is to provide an unforgettable ski holiday to our guests. To be able to do that, we have put together a special team of professional, experienced and qualified heli skiing guides.

BJÖRGVIN BJÖRGVINSSON // OWNER, FOUNDER, OPERATIONAL MANAGER, AMSG

Bjorgvin is one of two founders and owners of Viking Heliskiing. Over the past years, Björgvin has worked as a heliskiing guide and Operational Manager at Viking. He has explored Troll Peninsula most of his life and has spectacular knowledge of the area as a local guide. Björgvin is a former ski racer with the Icelandic national team. He participated in three Olympic games, six World Championships, Winner of the Junior WC in Chamonix 1998, three times Oceania Champion, raced in many World Cup’s and over 30 times winner of the Icelandic Championship.

JÓHANN H. HAFSTEIN // OWNER, FOUNDER, LEAD GUIDE, AMSG

Jóhann is one of two founders and owners of Viking Heliskiing. In recent years he has worked as the Lead Guide of the operation. His passion is freeriding and seeking new alpine adventures. Even though he has skied all over the world the Troll Peninsula is his favourite, where he has gained unique expertise of the surrounding area. Jóhann is a former ski racer with the Icelandic national team. He went to the Olympic games in Nagano in 1998 and participated in a couple of World Cups with the Icelandic Team.

PELLE ONOL LÅNG // UIAGM/IFMGA

Pelle Lang is the owner and founder of the Skiers Lodge in La Grave, France. He has over 35 years experience in off-piste skiing in Chamonix and La Grave, France, Alaska-Valdez, Canada, USA, Russia, Italy, India and in the north of Sweden and Norway. He is a fully qualified IFMGA mountain guide with the French Brevet d´État d´Alpinisme, Diplome de Guide de Haute Montagne, Pisteur-SLAO, Pro-Am mogul racer, Nordic ski extreme racer. Winner of the Derby de la Meije ind/team.

TYLER JONES // UIAGM/IFMGA

Tyler has achieved his full guide certification in the disciplines of Ski, Rock and Alpine. This currently makes him the youngest American internationally recognized as UIAGM/IFMGA licensed guide through the American Mountain Guides Association. Tyler has been on thirteen expeditions to the Alaska Range, including solo trips, several notable ski descents, and an ascent of the Cassin Ridge. He has also skied first descents on Mt. Shakara in the Republic of Georgia, climbed the Nose of El Capitan (Yosemite) in a day, and spent several ice seasons in the Canadian Rockies.

STEFAN KREUZER // ACMG/ASG

Stefan is a very experienced and professional mountain ski guide with over 30 years in the ski industry. He has been working as an instructor and examiner for the Canadian Ski Guide Association since 2007 and is a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. He has been a lead guide for Snowwater Heli-Skiing, Valhalla Powder Cats, Nelson, BC and a Senior Ski Guide with Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing, Blue River, BC.

DANIEL COQUOZ // UIAGM

Daniel is a 36 years old UIAGM Licensed Guide from Verbier in Switzerland. He has been ski guiding for many years in Verbier and other places in Europe. Of course, his favourite discipline is off-piste skiing but he also likes guiding ice climbing and canoeing. Daniel is passionate about guiding in extreme conditions and has for the last years worked independently as a mountain guide, all year round.

The Helicopters

The fleet is made out of the most modern and meticulously maintained helicopters on the market and consist of Ecureuil Astar AS350B2 & AS-350B3 (A-Star’s). The pilots are trained to the highest standards, experienced, multi-lingual and friendly with a vast knowledge of Iceland’s spectacular nature. The pilots are specialised in flying in the Arctic environment, especially in the Tröllaskagi area. The safety and comfort of our customers is always their main priority as well as providing them with an enjoyable experience they will never forget.

The Pilots

NICOLA SCHENKER

Nicola is a helicopter pilot from Switzerland. Since he was a little boy, he was dreaming of flying. Nicola started his flying career in 2010 in the United States and worked as a Flight Instructor and Commercial Pilot. Like his colleague Christian, he was also working in Iraq for the Special Forces and Air Ambulance in mountainous terrain. Before he ended up in the breathtaking country of Iceland. Nicola is happily married to his beautiful wife Flurina and loves spending time with her and his daughter Joana. Besides flying you’ll find him on the lake fishing or skiing in the mountains of the Troll Peninsula.

CHRISTIAN NEUNER

Christian is a helicopter pilot originally from Germany! Over the last years, he has gained experience in flying in different countries. His flying career started years ago in the US. First as a certified flight instructor and after that as a commercial helicopter pilot in different parts of the US. After that, his helicopter career took him into Iraq. For about one year, he was flying different missions for security forces. He finally ended up in some colder air in Iceland, as a Heli-Skiing pilot. When not up in the air, Chris is in the mountains around his home in Bavaria, hiking, biking or skiing.

The Boat

Our boat Skjöldur, or The Shield is a 28 ft cruiser. Our guests get to go on a trip onboard Skjöldur if requested as a complimentary excursion. After a few minutes of sailing, you’ll be fishing, whale watching and enjoying Iceland’s nature from a completely different angle.

Guests will be picked up at Akureyri airport and driven to their accommodation, Siglo Hotel. Guests can also be picked up in Akureyri by our helicopter upon request. When check-in at the hotel is completed our guests will have a short meeting with other skiers and the Heliskiing guides. After the meeting and a little chat, dinner is served in the hotel restaurant. In the evening guests can relax and enjoy a drink and some snacks while looking at the program for the coming tour.

Ready for the thrill of your life? You better be – you are staying with the Vikings and you are about to experience an adventure of a lifetime. On the schedule is heliskiing – adventure – exploring – and unique scenery, spectacular views and some unforgettable moments.

After breakfast, there will be a short briefing regarding avalanche safety and beacon training, helicopter safety, and ski-/snowboard equipment adjustment, just so everyone will be ready.

Then the fun part starts; heliskiing/helisnowboarding and exploring new lines and enjoying the breathtaking view while skiing down to the Arctic Ocean. Terrain selection is determined by the guides and is based on avalanche assessment, weather and the skiing ability of the group. Your safety is our number one priority.

After a few runs, we will find a great spot for our lunch which will be served outside on a mountain picnic style. After lunch, our ride continues throughout the day. We have an agreement with some of the local farmers, allowing us to drop in at the farms to taste some Icelandic shark, smoked arctic char or even smoked lamb.

After detaching the skis each day you can enjoy some of the adventure packages we have to offer, e.g. whale watching, sea angling or horseback riding on the great Icelandic horse. It is also possible to bathe in Iceland´s nicest swimming pools in an unforgettable environment. The other options are just to sit down at the Viking Bar to relax and unwind with a glass of wine or a pint of the Icelandic Viking beer.

Later in the evening the group will have dinner together in the Viking Heliskiing Lodge and discuss the great runs and adventures of the day.

In case of bad weather and down days you have a great opportunity to explore Iceland in a different way. You are able to enjoy all the activities we have to offer. Let us know if you have any other ideas of activities and we´ll do our best to make them available for you.

This is the last day of the tour. After breakfast, we will head out to the mountains to enjoy our last day. On the schedule today is exploring more new lines and the breathtaking view. After skiing, we head back to the hotel where you can for the last time jump in the hot tub or sauna, before enjoying the final drink and saying goodbye to your guides and your new friends.

Guests will be driven back to Akureyri where they can either go straight to the airport or spent some time in Akureyri. Upon request, we can also use our helicopter to fly you back to Akureyri.

Yes, it is hard to leave, but all fairy tales have to end… Keep in mind that you are always welcome back to join the Vikings and be a part of the explorers writing this amazing chapter in your life.

Your Hotel

Siglo Hotel strives to offer our guests a relaxing environment with a classic and romantic design. All the rooms have views over the beautiful surrounding mountains and marina and from the cozy window seat, you can watch life go by in this quiet little haven in north Iceland. The rooms are spacious and decorated with pictures from Siglufjords Photo Museum spanning its history and culture.

All Siglo Hotel’s rooms feature an HDTV, in room safe, complimentary Wi-Fi, private bathrooms with walk-in showers, free toiletries and a hairdryer. Guests also have complimentary access to the hotel´s sauna and hot tubs

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With only an hour drive from Akureyri airport, you´ll find Siglufjörður, located at the top of the Troll Peninsula. Siglufjörður or Siglo as the locals call it, is a historic fishing town whose fame and fortune has always been linked to the ebb and flow of the fishing industry. A tiny shark fishing village in 1900, Siglufjörður soon became one of the largest towns in Iceland and the undisputed capital of herring fishing in the Atlantic. Although the herring has disappeared, the town bears the distinct imprint of “The Herring Era”. The town sits at the heart of the narrow fjord, beneath towering mountains that are perfect for backcountry skiing.

Activity Level: Challenging

It‘s often a great misconception that skiers have to be experts to go heliskiing. Truth be told, we have all kinds of terrain that will fit most types of skiers from relatively flat and easy for the moderate level skiers, all the way to a more challenging terrain for the advanced skiers.

In our Private Tour we operate a group of 4 persons with exclusive use of the helicopter. In our Semi-Private Tours, 2 – 3 groups of 4 persons share the helicopter.

That all depends on how much air-time the group wants to spend in the day. When the conditions are good we normally do 7-8 runs each day. But of course the sky is the limit and we can ski all day long. The record is 19 runs in a day, done by 1 Brazilian, two Germans and one Icelander.

Prepare for a variety of snow conditions. You could at any time be skiing fresh powder, the famous Icelandic spring corn snow or fresh and light backcountry snow.

Our fleet is made up of the most modern and meticulously maintained helicopters on the market. They consist of both the Ecureuil Astar AS350B2 and the AS-350B3 (A-Star’s).

There is always some avalanche danger in the mountains. In backcountry skiing, the most important rule is to respect nature and adapt to its conditions. This is why we use only expert professional guides who constantly analyze the snowpack to make decisions that ensure the safety of our guests. We have never been in an avalanche accident with our guests and we are proud of that.

Yes we do. We provide each guest with a high quality transceiver, shovel, probe and an avalanche airbag. Your safety and comfort is our primary concern.

Guest can of course bring their own gear but we have a wide range of K2 skis and K2 snowboards and poles that we have available for our guests to use. Guests have to bring their own boots and we recommend that the boots have been used before arrival to avoid foot pain.

The best time to see the Northern Lights is from beginning of March to mid April.

We recommend that you purchase insurance to cover personal injury, cancellation and property losses prior to your trip.

When you arrive in Keflavik International Airport you can either be picked up by a private shuttle (upon request) or simply take a taxi straight to the domestic airport in Reykjavik. There are also scheduled bus transportation between Keflavik airport and Reykjavik. This ride will take approximately 40-60 minutes.

Air Iceland flies direct from Reykjavik Domestic Airport to Akureyri Airport which is located close to our lodge. There are five flights daily between Reykjavik and Akureyri and you will find all information about flight times on www.airicelandconnect.is